GarterPlateHenryBourchier 1stEarlOfEssex

Henry Bourchier, 5th Baron Bourchier, 2nd Count of Eu, 1st Viscount Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex ( – 4 April 1483), was the eldest son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and Anne of Gloucester. On his mother's side, he was a great-grandson of

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

Titles

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He inherited the title of 5th

Baron Bourchier The title Baron Bourchier is an abeyant peerage which was created in the Peerage of England in 1342 for Sir Robert Bourchier, who had been Lord High Chancellor of England from 1340–41. The title passed through the male line until the death o ...

from his cousin

Elizabeth Bourchier, 4th Baroness Bourchier Elizabeth Bourchier, 4th Baroness Bourchier (c.1399–1432) was an English noblewoman and landowner. She was the daughter of Bartholomew Bourchier, 3rd Baron Bourchier. She married twice, and both husbands acquired the title of Baron Bourchi ...

on her death in 1433. He became the 1st

Viscount Bourchier Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

in 1446, a

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

of the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

in 1452, and was created 1st

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

in 1461.

Career

He saw considerable military action in France and for his services was created

during the parliament of 1445–6, and elected

Knight of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. The most senior order of knighthood in the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British honours system, it is outranked in ...

on his third nomination in 1452. He later saw action in 1461 as a

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, th ...

supporter at the

Second Battle of St Albans The Second Battle of St Albans was fought on 17 February 1461 during the Wars of the Roses in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England (the First Battle of St Albans had been fought in 1455). The army of the Yorkist faction, under the Earl of War ...

and the

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...

, soon after which

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in England ...

created him

. He held the post of

Lord High Treasurer The Lord High Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in England, below the Lord H ...

from 29 May 1455 - 5 October 1456, 28 July 1460 - 14 April 1462, and 22 April 1471 - 4 April 1483. He also became Justice in Eyre south of the Trent in 1461, holding that title until his death. Bourchier's tenure as

occurred during the Great Bullion Famine and the Great Slump in England. He died on 4 April 1483 and was buried at

Beeleigh Abbey Beeleigh Abbey near Maldon in Essex, England, was a monastery constructed in 1180 for the Premonstratensians, as known as the Norbertines or Premonstratensians. The order linked the change of the separate life of monks in the 12th century with ...

, although his tomb was subsequently moved to Little Easton church.

Marriage and issue

Prior to 1426, he married Isabel of Cambridge, a great-granddaughter of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

. She was the elder sister of Richard Plantagenet, which made her the aunt of Richard's sons, the future kings

and

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

. Henry and Isabel were parents to at least eleven children. *William Bourchier, Viscount Bourchier (d. 1480). Married

Anne Woodville Anne Woodville, Viscountess Bourchier (c. 1438 – 30 July 1489) was an English noblewoman. She was a younger sister of Queen Consort Elizabeth Woodville to whom she served as a lady-in-waiting. Anne was married twice; first to William Bour ...

, daughter of

Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers Richard Woodville, 1st Earl Rivers (1405 – 12 August 1469), also Wydeville, was the father of Elizabeth Woodville and father-in-law of Edward IV. Early life Born at Maidstone in Kent, Richard Woodville was the son of Richard Wydeville ...

and

Jacquetta of Luxembourg Jacquetta of Luxembourg (1415/1416 – 30 May 1472) was a prominent figure in the Wars of the Roses. Through her short-lived first marriage to the Duke of Bedford, brother of King Henry V, she was firmly allied to the House of Lancaster. Howe ...

. They were parents of

Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex, 6th Baron Bourchier, 3rd Count of Eu and 2nd Viscount Bourchier (died 13 March 1539) was an English soldier, peer and courtier at the courts of Henry VII of England, Henry VII and Henry VIII. He married Mary S ...

and Cicely Bourchier, wife of

John Devereux, 9th Baron Ferrers of Chartley John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

.Alison Weir, ''Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy'' (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 111. *Henry Bourchier (d. 1462). Married Elizabeth de Scales, Baroness Scales. No known children. * Humphrey Bourchier, 1st Baron Cromwell (d. 14 April 1471). Killed in the

Battle of Barnet The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a War of succession, dynastic conflict of England in the Middle Ages, 15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury, secured t ...

. * John Bourchier (d. 1495). Married first Elizabeth Ferrers and secondly Elizabeth Chichele. No known children. *Edward Bourchier (d. 30 December 1460). Killed in the

Battle of Wakefield The Battle of Wakefield took place in Sandal Magna near Wakefield in northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to the captive King Henry VI o ...

. *Thomas Bourchier (d. 1492). Married Isabella Barre. No known children. *Florence Bourchier (d. 1525). *Fulk Bourchier. Considered to have died young. *Hugh Bourchier. Considered to have died young. *Isabella Bourchier. Considered to have died young. On his death, she did not remarry and died more than a year later.

References

Bibliography

External links

''Luminarium Dictionary: Henry Bourchier, Earl of Essex (d.1483)''

Ancestry

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bourchier, Henry 1st Earl Of Essex Essex, Bourchier Henry 1st earl Essex, Bourchier Henry 1st earl 15th-century English people 01 05 Essex, Bourchier Henry 1st earl Essex, Bourchier Henry 1st earl Essex, Bourchier Henry 1st earl

Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex Henry Bourchier, 5th Baron Bourchier, 2nd Count of Eu, 1st Viscount Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex ( – 4 April 1483), was the eldest son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and Anne of Gloucester. On his mother's side, he was a grea ...